Sir Brian Leveson’s report ‘Review of Efficiency in
Criminal Proceedings’ which was published in January 2015
to find ways to make the criminal justice system more streamlined and
efficient.
One of the findings in the report was that too many cases are
being sent unnecessarily to the Crown Court, which is a major problem in terms
of cost (on average a Crown Court trial costs 4 times that of a Magistrates’
Court trial).
Leveson believes that a larger proportion of cases should be
heard in the Magistrates’ Court where cases are dealt with in less time.
He recommended that even in circumstances where Magistrates are uncertain about
the adequacy of their powers, they should be able to retain the case and commit
to the Crown Court for sentence if they later take the view that the case falls
outside their sentencing powers.
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